Question: Solve for $x$ : $(x + 9)^2 - 64 = 0$
Add $64$ to both sides so we can start isolating $x$ on the left: $ (x + 9)^2 = 64$ Take the square root of both sides to get rid of the exponent. $ \sqrt{(x + 9)^2} = \pm \sqrt{64}$ Be sure to consider both positive and negative $8$ , since squaring either one results in $64$ $ x + 9 = \pm 8$ Subtract $9$ from both sides to isolate $x$ on the left: $ x = -9 \pm 8$ Add and subtract $8$ to find the two possible solutions: $ x = -1 \text{or} x = -17$